Nominations are now open for Westminster Veterinarian of the Year 2025

Our pets’ vets are essentially part of our family: they help keep our fur babies in tip-top shape so we can enjoy as many years together as possible. If you have an exceptional vet, now is the time to show them some love by nominating them for the Westminster Veterinarian of the Year 2025 award.

Find out more about this award and how to submit your nomination.

Information about the veterinary surgeon of the year award

The Westminster Kennel Club was founded in 1877 and is the oldest dedicated organization in the country dog sports. The Club hosts the famous Westminster Dog Show, the longest nationally televised show dog showwhich honors the nation’s most impressive pups.

From 2022, the Club also recognizes outstanding human veterinarians through its Veterinarian of the Year Award (VOTY).created to celebrate veterinarians who make a difference in the lives of our pets and to shine a light on the impact the practice of veterinary medicine can have on a person’s mental health.

“The Westminster Kennel Club is proud to be one of the oldest dog-focused missionary organizations in the world,” says Donald Sturz, DVM, president of the Westminster Kennel Club. “We cannot achieve our mission to create a better world for dogs without the unwavering support of our incredible veterinary professionals.”

Last year, over 200 veterinarians were nominated for VOTY, with Treyton Diggs, DVMa veterinarian from Boutte, Louisiana, who eventually claimed the title of 2024 VOTY. Diggs received his DVM from Tuskegee University in Alabama and is trained in several specialtiesincluding small animal internal medicine, cardiology, emergency room and intensive care, neurology and more.

Diggs was also recently named Westminster’s inaugural resident veterinarian, “a further example of his unwavering values, dedication and moral compass in animal care by providing virtual support and expert advice to Westminster’s global community,” said the Club in one press release.

How to name your vet

For those of us who know an exceptional veterinarian, now is the time to submit a nomination for the VOTY 2025 award. Here’s how.

1. Visit Westminster Kennel Club VOTE page.
2. Enter your name, email, and your veterinarian’s information, including where they currently practice.
3. In 200 words, describe how your veterinarian went above and beyond for you and your pet.
4. Send!

Four regional finalists will be chosen from the pool of applications and an esteemed jury of veterinary colleagues will select the final winner. The winner will be recognized in person at the 2025 Westminster Dog Show. Westminster will also donate $10,000 in the winner’s name Not another vet—an organization dedicated to supporting the mental health of veterinarians, students and veterinary technicians.

Be sure to attend the 149th Westminster Dog Show starting February 8, 2025, to see who will ultimately be recognized as the 2025 Veterinarian of the Year.